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RAAF At A Glance

Legal Status

The legal status of the Regional Agency for Agriculture and Food is synonymous to that of all specialised agencies of ECOWAS. It is a technical body that specialises in agriculture and is responsible for executing a certain number of objectives relating to the implementation of agricultural policy.

It is designed to be an autonomous institution outside the Commission, but with operating rules compliant with those in force within ECOWAS from a legal, administrative and financial standpoint.

As such, it enjoys autonomy in its financial management in accordance with the provisions in force within ECOWAS. It has internal regulations and management rules (personnel specifications, guide to administrative and financial management procedures) compliant with those in force within ECOWAS.

Strengthen the technical capacity of intervention and action of the ECOWAS Commission, including the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Water Resources (AEWR) in the implementation of investment programs to enable it fully play its regulatory role (strategic Direction, Regulation, control, monitoring and evaluation, strategic intelligence.)

Coordinate with a view to streamlining the activities and areas of responsibility of specialized tehniques institutions in the fields of agriculture and food (agriculture, livestock, fisheries, forestry).

Contribute to strengthening the capacity of regional actors in the preparation of records, implementation and monitoring of activities

The governance of ECOWAS Agricultural Policy (ECOWAP / CAADP) is a central and critical issue in terms of the results expected from the regional investment plan. In this context, the ECOWAS Commission has designed a device institutionnel and a funding mechanism that it has submitted to Member States and to all regional and international partners. The conference in Abuja in November 2009 resulted in the selection of a set orientations for its architecture.

The institutional mechanism based on four principles:

A clear political responsibility assumed by the statutory bodies of the ECOWAS Commission and the

A policy steering involving key stakeholders (Partner, Dialogue)

The principle of delegation of project management for the elements of the investment plan are not the sovereign functions of ECOWAS

Procedures for financial management, control and monitoring-evaluation predictable and secure.